Product Description

Includes Canon 2691B001 DC320 DVD Camcorder Compact Power Adapter CA-570 Battery Pack NB-2LH Stereo/Video Cable STV-250N.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1075 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Canon
• Model: DC320
• Released on: 2008-04-01
• Dimensions: 5.51" h x 6.36" w x 8.19" l, 3.13 pounds
• Display size: 2.7

Features

• Capture video direct to DVD
• 37x Optical Zoom; image stabilizer
• 2.7-inch widescreen LCD monitor; widescreen HR recording
• DVD-R/-RW/-R DL recording format
• USB 2.0 hi-speed terminal for quick video transfer

Manufacturer Description

From the #1 brand in photography and networked imaging solutions for business and home comes the DC-series DVD camcorders. These affordable and feature-focused camcorders offer the ease-of-use and convenience of DVD recording all within a stylishly compact body. Preserving life’s precious memories has never been this fun and easy to do.

Canon DC320 Highlights

DVD-R/-RW/-R DL Format Only 8cm (3 inches) in diameter, these discs can store up to 80 minutes of video (up to 108 minutes on a dual layer disc) and are compatible with most old and new DVD players.

Genuine Canon 48x Advanced Zoom Capture the action from even farther away when using Canon’s exclusive Advanced Zoom. By utilizing Genuine Canon Optics and the DIGIC DV II Image Processor, Canon has developed a new way to extend beyond the optical zoom, both wide and telephoto, while continuing to maintain optimal image quality. With Canon’s Advanced Zoom, you can now enjoy stunning video from any distance.

1/6-inch, 1.07-megapixel CCD image sensor Whether you’re shooting video or photos, you will benefit from the camcorder’s razor-sharp CCD image sensor.

Quick Start Instead of powering off your camcorder between shots, simply press the Quick Start button to put the camcorder in stand-by mode. Quick Start considerably reduces the power consumption of the battery and allows the user to return to recording mode in less than a second, so you’ll never miss another special moment.

Widescreen HR recording The DC320 records true widescreen for picture perfect video. Canon’s image processing system uses the entire width of the image sensor, capturing a big picture in true 16:9 widescreen so no one and nothing is left unseen. And Canon camcorders take advantage of more pixels to give you amazing quality.

2.7-inch widescreen LCD A widescreen LCD lets you see exactly what your camcorder is recording, and what your TV will display later.

Image stabilizer Shoot rock-steady video -- even when you’re at maximum telephoto without a tripod. It is even effective while panning or zooming.

LCD video light Shooting in low light situations has never been easier with Canon’s new LCD video light. The next time you are using your DC320 in a dimly lit room, simply flip over the LCD screen to face your subject and activate the video light function. A soft light emanating from your LCD illuminates the area in which you are shooting allowing you to get high quality video even in less than ideal lighting conditions.

Joystick The joystick makes using the camcorder easier than ever. Extra buttons have been eliminated, allowing you to control playback, focusing, exposure, and menu options from one convenient place.

Lower battery consumption The DC320 consumes less battery power giving you longer operation time.

DIGIC DV II image processor DIGIC DV II is the next generation of Canon's exclusive DIGIC DV signal processing technology. Even though video and still images have different color requirements, DIGIC DV II digital signal processing ensures optimal image quality for both video and still images. Thanks to DIGIC DV II image processing, the DC320 produces video with improved color reproduction -- especially in skin tones, and dark and light scenes. It also uses a hybrid noise reduction system that employs two types of noise reduction -- for images that are crystal clear.

Smooth zoom control With this innovative feature, you can always be sure of smooth, steady, professional looking zoom shots. Simply select one of three pre-set zoom speeds. You can also select variable so you can control the speed manually.

Level Shot and Grid Markers It's easy to keep your DC320 level for more professional-looking video. Simply press the Level Shot Control button, and a horizontal marker appears in your viewfinder. Then line up any horizontal lines in your shot to the marker and you know your camcorder is level. The Grid marker is also very convenient for setting up the special balance in your shots. And since background colors vary, you can select from two line colors to make the lines easily visible.

Built-in lens cover A built-in lens cover means no dangling lens cover to lose.

Still image recording Capture stunning photos in 4:3 aspect ratio to an SD card.

SDHC memory card slot Capture your photos and short movie clips directly to either a standard SD card or a high-capacity SDHC card. This allows you to use cards with a capacity of 2GB or larger.

Advanced Photo Features A variety of features allow you to capture great photos.

• 9 Point AiAF: Bring off-center subjects into sharp focus.
• Histogram display: With just one push of a button, the brightness information of a still image is revealed. This allows you to monitor image quality, so you can make adjustments to improve the next shots.
• Simultaneous Photo Recording: Capture e-mail ready digital photos to a memory card while you record video.
• Image Effects: Choose from the following effects to add a creative flare to your photos: Vivid, Neutral, Low-Sharpening, and Soft Skin Detail.
• Drive Modes
• Special Scene Modes: A wide selection of automatic exposure modes makes it easy to capture great video or photos under any condition. Choose from: Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, or Fireworks.

9 selectable languages English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese

One-year parts and labor limited warranty Canon’s camcorder limited warranty provides protection long after other manufacturers’ warranties expire.

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Customer Reviews

Good, basic camcorder. Don't expect miracles.
I am used to a VHS camcorder (a Sharp Slimcam) that takes fabulous video, but am upgrading to digital for the first time. I did a lot of research and decided that DVD recording was better for me than hard drive or card media because I'm not into the "transfer to computer, edit, burn to disc" video making. I want to pop the finished disc into my DVD player and be done with it. I never saw the attraction to Sony's touch-screen camcorders. Why smudge up your LCD screen with fingerprints? This Canon has two buttons and a joystick next to the LCD as well as a regular viewfinder in case bright daylight washes out the LCD. I bought the cheapest SD card I could find (Kingston 2gig $14) for the still pictures and Memorex miniDVD-RW's (3 for $15 at Best Buy) for the video. Both work fine. I'm sure there are better prices out there but I wanted to get started. All I want is simple movie making and, while this unit has some whistles and bells I will never use, they don't get in the way. There is an "easy" switch to make the camera do everything, and a manual mode that lets you tweak settings if you're into that. It takes pretty good quality video with the SP (higher quality) setting, I haven't tried the lower one. But don't expect eye-popping videos. You will need a hi-def camcorder for that and a Blu-Ray player to watch them unless you intend to use the camcorder as your player. As far as recording standard, home videos, the DC320 is a good value if you pay less than $350. The still camera, however, cannot match my little Fujifilm S3100 and I did not buy this Canon for that. If I happen to have it handy when a photo op arrives, I may use it, but will always have my "real" still camera with me. When you snap the shutter, there is a long delay for focusing before the picture is taken, so candid shots will be challenging. It does have a rapid-fire setting so you can press and hold the shutter for a series of quick shots. But you will have to upload your pix via a card reader of some kind because there is no USB port on this camera. Images can be watched through a standard 3-wire AV cable plugged into your TV if you want. There is no built-in light for still shots, but you can use the LCD screen as a small light source by using a menu setting to switch it on, (it turns white) and turn it towards the front. Better than nothing, I suppose. There is no extra light source for video taking, but there is a night-mode among the different settings. Videos can be recorded in one of two modes - you have to initialize the disc for the mode you want before shooting. One mode lets you erase specific scenes in the camera while keeping others, but requires a limited type of DVD player for playback. The other mode is more universal but restricts your options to erasing the whole disc if you want to start over. DVD-RW discs let you do that, DVD-R's are pretty much "you shoot it, you keep it" unless you edit with your computer later and burn to another disc. Overall, the menu is pretty intuitive once you learn where stuff is, and the joystick makes for quick navigating, plus you never touch your LCD screen! The biggest complaint I have is the position of the on/off/mode switch. When your hand is through the strap, it is very difficult to operate this switch with your thumb like you're supposed to, but fortunately you don't need that switch while you're shooting. There is a standby setting that lets you power down for a few minutes to save battery power and then power up quickly. The battery life is dismal - maybe 20 minutes of average shooting time, you will want to find a long-life (1 hour) battery to carry as a backup. Videos can be shot in widescreen format which is great for my LCD TV. Battery charging must be done on camera unless you buy a separate charger. Also, you need to remember to close the lens cover when you're done shooting - no automatic cover at this price. Summary: Nice, easy to use, somewhat flexible camcorder with average resolution. Don't expect miracles with a camcorder under $600 and you will enjoy this Canon.

Tricky but does the job
The good side of this camera is the weight. I carried it almost 80% following the kid through a parade and my arm didn't get tired. The steadiness was great - no real shaking from the walking (almost running) to keep up. I can't say much about the lighting, the street lights were amber so it gave a bad hue. I blame the street lights for that, not the cam, but it wasn't as dark as I thought it would be. You could still see faces.

I've never had to initilize a disc. So the cam is good to go when plopping in the disc.

Downside, its tricky getting to the menu to finalize the disc. But it does it rather quickly. That might be because the discs dont hold much content, even the dual layered discs. Which is the other downside.

Shop around when getting more discs. Some places like CC, charge double the price just for the discs for the same price at OD with plastic covers.

Great Camcorder
I love this Camcorder,easy to use and great pictures. I like that it records to a DVD, no need to download, it plays directly on a DVD player.